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Thursday, October 31, 2013

I know this is late at night on the very last day of the month... but I really wanted to do an October Snippets post.

Snippets of Story is a monthly link up hosted by Katie at her blog Whisperings of the Pen. Head on over and check out all the links for some great stories.

The Three Kyngdoms:

"I could scarcely believe it when she said she had come to train me. I still wonder...." her voice trailed off.
"What?" Iorwerth prompted.
"Why she came here, instead of me going to the Castle of Valholl, as is traditional."

Llewellyn turned to his sister and they gripped each other's shoulders. "There is no turning back now," he said quietly.
"Yes. But we do not wish to turn back?" Seren said it as a question, brown eyes searching her brother's.
"We do not," Llewellyn affirmed, "We will go forward."

Quara ~ The Land Beyond the Sunset:

Ariana gave a short laugh. "Trouble? We've been up to our ears in trouble for 3 days. Pirates, troublesome lords, annoying rumors, the final preparation of the graduating class of squires who will be knighted next week and of course, the arrangements for the two birthdays."

Lieutenant Gillamor regretfully shook his head, "We should very much like to see more of the Palace. But, my father has sent us on a mission into the town. I am sorry."
"It's ok," Elsheba assured him, "Everyone has to obey their parents."

Jothadon stopped buckling his belt and looked at her, "What?"
"All I know, is that I heard hurrying steps in the hall and I saw a rider coming fast up the hill to the castle."
Leaving his belt only partly fastened, he yanked on his boots, "Come on! Let's get to the Entrance Hall."

"Well," Jothadon jumped down from the chair he had been standing on, "I'm going to the kitchens for some cookies. Anyone else coming?"
"Well, I'm sure not going to allow you to pig out on cookies without getting some," Elsheba swung off her window perch.
"Me either. You'd get sick," Debarri tilted her head in superiority.
"Huh! Me get sick just from eating a handful of cookies?" Jothadon wrinkled his nose disdainfully.
"If we aren't there, you will eat lots of handfuls, not just one," Elsheba giggled.

FAMILY story:

"Just get out while you still can. I cannot tell you what exactly
the danger is, for I do not know. But, know that there is danger. For you and for those close to you."
"Why do you tell me this?"

I intended to post this earlier today but obviously that didn't happen (the day got away from me). It is not yet midnight where I live, but I know that for some of my readers, it is already Nov. 1st, and for others it is fast approaching.

Anyway, this is a reminder that the 30 Day Middle Earth Challenge starts tomorrow!!!!! Kiri and I are very excited and eager to be doing this and we can hardly wait to post our answers to the challenge questions and to read all of your answers. To find out more about the challenge and how you can join in, if you haven't already, visit THIS page.

And, tomorrow I will be taking part in a cover reveal for a wonderful book that will be out before too much longer. I won't tell you any more than that right now, but believe me, you will want to see this cover.

And, I am planning on doing NaNo!!! (I know, with everything else I have going on in Nov. trying to write 50,000 words on top of all that is just plain crazy- which is pretty much the definition of me these days. :D) Tomorrow, I will also post about the story I am doing- a synopsis and a snippet or two.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

And here I am at the end of the challenge. It has been a delightful journey for me, and I hope you all enjoyed it as well, or at least weren't too bored by it.

I tend to have lots of favorites, not just one. One of my favorite songs about this time last year, is from the CD Music Inspired by the Story. I was introduced to these songs by Hayden, and this one became a favorite the first time I heard it. Mandisa is another singer I don't normally like, but I don't mind her in this song. The lyrics in this song are just SUPERB. They've been an encouragement to me at various times over the last year.

Tomorrow, look out for news of what will be coming up in November on The Splendor Falls!

Monday, October 28, 2013

What I mean is, there is no song that fits this for me. I cannot think of a single song that makes me feel guilty.

So, what shall I post today instead? *stares at the screen for awhile thinking*

I know! I found this song several months ago and it became an instant favorite. It is full of history and it is a rebel song- and I do have a soft spot for rebel stories. :) Besides, it is just an outright FANTASTIC song. Here is Rising of the Moon sung by The High Kings.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

First, an announcement. THIS IS MY 200TH POST. Wow, it doesn't seem like I should be up to that many posts yet... although, the song challenge posts have really pushed my total up.

In other news, Rachel Heffington at The Inkpen Authoress has started a new monthly link up event for writers. It is an exercise in dialogue writing. She chooses a topic at the beginning of the month, we write dialogue about it with some of our characters and then link up at her blog. For this month's topic she chose coffee.

This month I'm using Quara, because it is the story I'm currently working on and these are the characters filling my head. In Quara coffee goes by the name cokolado.

The candles flickered brightly as Timotheus sleepily walked into the High Office and dropped into a chair.

"Sorry to rout you out at such an hour," Ariana looked at him compassionately, "But, I thought we'd better deal with this immediately." She handed him the note that had just come in by pigeon. Beside her, Sojeph was unrolling a map.

Timotheus shrugged as he took it. "We do what we have to do." He stared at the note, trying to absorb its meaning. His brain just would not wake up. It needed help.

Fragrant smells drifted down the hall and someone knocked on the door, which stood open a crack.

"Come in!" Sojeph called.

Timotheus' lifeguard Orak entered and set down a platter on which sat a pot and a large mug. Sojeph's lifeguard Selbu Dynas followed, setting two more trays down, each of which also held a pot and a mug.

"Cokolado!" the High King exclaimed. Orak filled the mug and handed it to him. Timotheus gulped the steaming black liquid gratefully.

Friday, October 25, 2013

It's time for Character Encounters again!!! Character Encounters is a monthly writing link-up hosted by my friend Kendra of Knitted by God's Plan.

For October's CE, we were suppose to meet our character in the kitchen. I've been writing on The Land Beyond the Sunset all month, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when this happened:

I glanced at the clock as I opened the oven. Just enough time for these muffins to bake before breakfast. I slid the muffin tins in, closed the oven and set the timer.

Now to clean up the counter. I turned around... and stopped short in surprise. A teenage boy leaned against the farthest end of the counter. He had black hair and wore the distinctive tunic of the Squires of Esidaraq- denim blue edged with pearl gray. His pants were the same denim blue as his tunic. He was staring steadily at me.

"Why Rickfred! This is a surprise. How are you?"

"Well enough, thank you, Miss Melody," he replied courteously.

"And what brings you here?" I began stacking up the mixing bowls and utensils I'd used to make the muffins.

"I have a question to ask you." A frown crossed his face.

I was puzzled. What could he want to know that was so important that he would seek me out here, instead of waiting until my usual writing hour? "Yes?"

"Debarri's birthday ball is tomorrow night."

"Yes, it is."

"Are you going to make me dance with Lady Deentha? I know you weren't very happy with me when I avoided her, against your plan, at Elsheba's birthday ball."

Oh dear, I thought we'd have trouble over this. I tried to be diplomatic. "Well, as annoying and frankly as bratty as she is, you are still a King of Esidaraq and she is the daughter of a powerful noble, and it would be a polite thing to do."

"I know," he said impatiently. "But she will be twice, no five times as bad this time because I avoided her at Elsheba's ball and she suspects I did."

I pulled out several apples, washed them and started cutting them up, thinking hard.

"I don't blame you for not liking her, Rickfred. In fact, if you did like her, I would be disappointed in you. Deentha is a brat, and Timotheus, Ariana and Madelia raised you better than to like such behavior. But think about it, Rickfred. You brought her anger upon yourself by avoiding her in the first place. Is it really worth angering her and possibly her family, just to not dance even one dance with her?"

He scowled. "Court Politics are stupid. If I don't like someone, I shouldn't have to dance with them."

I hid a smile, "Yes, Court politics of that sort are stupid, sometimes."

"And she is going to be such a pill, because of the incident at Elsheba's ball," he groaned. "I think I'll do something to get sick or lose my voice, or something awful, so I don't have to attend the ball."

Alarmed, I looked up at him. "Don't do anything dreadful, please. I need you all to cooperate for the rest of the month."

"Why?"

"Because I want to write as much as I can on your story before I put you aside for Johari's story next month. And I can't write, if you won't talk to me."

A gleam came into his eyes and he straightened up, no longer leaning on the counter. "I suggest we make a deal, Miss Melody. If you will help me find a way not to dance with Lady Deentha at Debarri's ball, I will ensure that the Royal Family is on the best of speaking terms with you for the rest of the month." He smiled winningly.

I studied him for a moment. I probably shouldn't do this. He did need to be courteous, whether he liked it or not. But, I wanted so badly to put in a good chunk of words on Quara during the few remaining days of the month, and didn't want to risk them taking a pet and refusing to talk. "Very well. You have a deal, young man."

His face brightened and he bowed. "Thank you Miss Melody. I promise we will all be on excellent speaking terms with you until the first of November."

I nodded, then looked at him with narrowed eyes. "So, you have been learning at least a few things in your tact and diplomacy lessons with Ariana and Sojeph, haven't you? You negotiated with me quite neatly."

He grinned sheepishly. "Just a few. Not too many, so I wasn't really lying when I said the other day that I don't learn much from them."

I shook my head, "Well, I'm still not letting you get out of them."

He grinned cheerfully. "I know. Actually, I'd rather sit through those, or even an etiquette lesson, than dance with Lady Deentha." He made a face at the hated etiquette lessons.

I shook my head again in mock exasperation.

The timer rang and I went to take the muffins out. When I returned to the counter, Rickfred was gone. I smiled to myself. The poor boy- I didn't blame him for doing almost anything to escape Deentha. She was pretty nasty. I'd have to come up with some way for him to avoid her, but that I could deal with, now that they had promised to behave for the rest of the month.

There are still a few days to write your own CE and link up!! Go HERE to join in the fun.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Hmm, let me see.... I don't exactly go around planning my funeral, either, anymore than I do a wedding, but I was writing about a funeral one day, and needed to project the atmosphere (so I could write it better), so I did spend a few minutes imagining what my own funeral might be like. (The things we writers do for our art. :D)

Thus, at my funeral, I think I'd like either the theme song from Chariots of Fire:

Or, Switchfoot's This Is Home. Normally, I don't like Switchfoot's music, but I do love this song.

Do you consider thinking about one's own funeral a morbid thing to do?

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ok, I know many girls think, and sometimes even plan, about the way they want their weddings to be – what music they want played, color schemes, decorations, fun or different ways to do things, what style of dress they want to wear... and there is nothing wrong with that! It's just that... I don't. I never have. If and when, I ever get married, I'll think about it then.

So, to answer today's challenge, I had to use my imagination. (What a hardship, I know. :D) I've always loved this song, though I thought of it as a friendship song, not necessarily a romantic song.

Steven Curtis Chapman – When You Are A Soldier

What do you think of the song? Do you like to think about or plan out your future wedding?

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

I accidentally posted, 'A song you listen to when you're sad' for yesterday, instead of today.

So, today I will do the correct challenge for Day Twenty-One: A song you listen to when you are happy.

Oh, goodness, choices. *thinks for a minute* I listen to a wide variety of music when I'm happy. I think I'll go with Owl City's Galaxies, because I've been listening to it frequently the last few days.

The end of the challenge is in sight!! Only a little over a week left!

Monday, October 21, 2013

EDIT: I messed up!!! My post says 'A song you listen to when you are sad' for Day Twenty-One. If you look closely at the challenge poster, I should have done, 'A song you listen to when you are happy.'

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Grand March from the opera Aida (different from the musical). It is my go-to 'angry pacing' music. I tend to pace when I'm angry. Also when I'm upset, excited, bored, need to think... in short, I guess I pace a lot. :)

And now, I really should go to bed, but I don't feel like doing that. :D I feel like staying up and writing. Inspiration always seems to hit late at night....

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Ok, a recent favorite has been Owl City's The Midsummer Station. A few months ago, I played it constantly. I haven't played it much in recent days- only when I'm emailing. I LOVE this song- I'll often put it on repeat.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Even though this song plays fairly often on the Christian radio station (which we do still turn on now and then) I don't think I will ever grow tired of it. The very first time I heard it, it became an instant favorite and I loved more and more the more I heard it.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

I never exactly loved this song, but I did like it, and now it drives me nuts, because the Christian radio station we usually listen to way overplayed it and now it just annoys me- which is sad because the lyrics are good. That station and it's tendency to overplay some songs, is one reason I no longer listen to it much. If I want to hear music of one type now, I usually go turn on a playlist on YouTube.

Building 429 – You Carried Me

Do you listen to any radio stations that have a tendency to overplay songs?

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Oh gosh, this one was HARD. I am just not good at describing myself. I usually stutter and think, "Huuhhh????? Someone else answer this please!!" Maybe it is because I'm an introvert (for the most part). I can describe other people at length, give you all kinds of details about my story characters that you probably never wanted to know, and jump into character or people discussions with both feet, but ask me to describe myself and my brain freezes up.

You know how certain songs will just jump out at you and become 'your' song? Well, today I am going to post one of the songs that has become 'my' song: Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. In some ways, I think this song does describe me, so it should qualify. :)

We've been wanting to do this since June (for the full history, go read Kiri's post), and are VERY excited that it has come together. We hope it will be fun for everyone involved.

Here is the challenge list:

Your posts don't have to be very long or complicated. In fact, most of the time, a simple picture or quote will meet the day's challenge. Of course, if you'd like to go into more detail, please do! We will enjoy reading your posts no matter how long or short, elaborate or brief.

Here are the buttons for you to put up, announcing your participation. We do ask, when you post the buttons, that you link either to my blog: The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls, or to Kiri's blog: Lianne Taimenlore. We also encourage you to pin the buttons on Pinterest, with a link to one of our blogs.

We also ask that you tag all of your challenge posts with the tag: 30 Day Middle Earth Challenge and then leave a link to your tag on one or both of our blogs. Then at the end of the month, we can link up to your blog tag.

If you don't have a blog, but would still like to participate, you can do so by leaving your answer to each day's challenge in a comment on either Kiri's or my blog.

Questions? Just leave a comment on one of our blogs, and we'll get back to you!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Ok, this one was a little tougher for me. You see, I used to be pretty set in my music tastes. I listened to a variety of music, but there were certain types I didn't touch. But lately, I've been branching out more and listening to (and liking!) things I would not have gone anywhere near a year ago, and a LOT of that has been Kpop. But, if I post another Kpop song, will you all get sick of me inflicting Kpop on you???? Well, this might be the last one. And actually, this song is Japanese, although it is sung by one of Kpop's most well-known bands. (Many Kpop artists/bands perform in Japan as well as Korea, hence the Japanese song from a Korean band.)

Soooo, SS501's Kokoro. Believe me, if my family were to hear this song, they would look at me like I had suddenly lost my mind. "WHAT???? You never listen to this kind of music!!"

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Invisible by the Contemporary Christian metal/rock band Disciple. I can't stand metal/hard rock music for the most part, anyway, but this band drives me nuts. I have a sister who used to play them a lot, and I hated it. They sound like they are screaming, not singing. People, that is not music, that is just noise. The lyrics of this song are ok, but it gives me such a headache to listen to this band, that I won't listen to this song even for the lyrics. (And, actually, this song's music is mild compared to some of theirs.)

NOTE: All of the above is my personal opinion. I'm not slamming anyone else who does like this band or this kind of music.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Michael Card's El Shaddai. I used to listen to this a lot at night when I was going to bed, and especially if I was having trouble going to sleep. It is so soothing, and relaxing, and it just a beautiful song.

The Christmas Candle is an upcoming film based on the book The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado.

I first heard about this movie when I was browsing through pictures of Samantha Barks on Pinterest and came across one of her in this gorgeous period coat. The caption on the picture said it was from the set of an upcoming movie called The Christmas Candle. I have not read Lucado's book, but the movie looked interesting and the summary on imdb was intriguing. The trailer for it is now out; I watched it today for the first time and have already rewatched it four times. Yes, I'm excited about this movie. :)

For us Les Mis fans, there is some fun trivia about the movie. I actually keep thinking of it as Les Mis the Christmas movie, because not only is Samantha Barks in it, but Hans Matheson plays the hero and he was Marius in the non-musical 1998 Les Mis. Susan Boyle, famous for her version of I Dreamed a Dream on a British talent show, is also in the movie. And, based on the trailer, it looks like Eponine will finally get Marius. :D

Non- Les Mis names some of you may recognize are Sylvester McCoy, (Doctor Who and Radagast in the Hobbit trilogy) and Barbara Flynn, (Cranford, Miss Potter, and Wives and Daughters, among other period dramas).

The release date is November 29. For more info, here is the imdb link.

Thr Trailer:

Haha, I love that line, "Reverend High and Mighty at your service," Isn't Samantha fantastic in another period role??!!! And the cute little boy – I don't know who he is or what part he plays in the story, but I hope he'll be fun and mischievous.

What do you all think? Are you interested in watching this movie when it comes out?

(Yes, it's midnight and way late, but I just didn't get this post done earlier.)

I love this song, and listen to it when I'm feeling discouraged, or when it seems like a rough part of life will never end. In addition to being encouraging, it always reminds me of a certain hike we took on a church camping trip when I was 12. It was over a bike trail that had once been a railroad. There was this tunnel that was 1/4 mile long and just the coolest thing ever. We hiked through it, and then turned around on the other side and walked back through it (because it was time to go back to camp). I loved the experience/adventure, and this song always makes me think of that particular tunnel.

I had to put quite a bit of thought into answering this one. I was almost ready to do a different song but when I went out to feed our horses, I suddenly remembered this song, and that it sometimes reminds of the farmhouse where I spent the happiest years of my childhood. We lived in that old house from the time I was five until I was going on nine. There was this hill that was behind the house, and if you went up and over it, you came to a hayfield, bordered by a wide treeline. It seemed so magical to me, like climbing it and going over it would take me into another world. The refrain of this song, Over the Hills and Far Away, brings back memories of that feeling.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Obviously, I didn't post a song yesterday. I was gone all day and did not feel like posting late last night. So, I'm doing days four and five of the song challenge today.

DAY FOUR ~ A SONG THAT MAKES YOU SAD

I found this song through a friend some months ago and it never fails to make me sad. It makes me wonder about the young soldier- his family, his life before the war, his time in the military.... It is a vivid picture of how sad the results of war are. For me, the most tragic line in the song is: 'Did you really believe this war would end wars?/ Well, the suffering, the sorrow, the glory the shame/ The killing the dying, it was all done in vain/ Oh Willy MacBride, it all happened again/ And again, and again, and again, and again.' Tragic because it is so true.

DAY FIVE ~ A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE

Ok, to the best of my knowledge, my father never heard this song, but for various reasons, it always makes me think of him. (It is also one of my favorite Disney songs.)

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Ok, so most of you know by now that I've become of fan of some Korean dramas, music and musicals. Today's song is by some of the members of two of kpop's most popular bands: boyband Super Junior and girl band Girls' Generation.

Why does this song make me happy? It just has this fun, cheery sound. I listen to it when I'm feeling blue and it brings a smile to my face. But, let me warn you – this song is quite catchy!! I've been going around the house with it stuck in my head for days. :D

Here it is with English subtitles (but, since I only know a few words of Korean, I can't tell you how accurate or inaccurate the subtitling is).

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Hmmmm, I have plenty of songs that I don't listen to because I don't like them. Many of them are songs my sisters like, so when they play them, I leave the room. :)

But, if I had to say one song that I absolutely cannot abide... it would have to be Taylor Swift's You Belong With Me.

Yes, you read that right.

Now, I know this is one of Taylor's most popular songs. (And here is where I tell you that I just plain don't like Taylor's music- with a few exceptions.) But, honestly, I can't stand this song. At all. I have one sister who used to sing it, and I would glare daggers at her every single time.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

I have to admit, I love challenges. So, when I saw this 30 Day Song Challenge on Amy's blog, I thought, "Why not?"

I do plan to blog more about my usual subjects this month, in addition to this challenge.

DAY ONE ~ FAVORITE SONG:

I know it says your favorite song, but there is no way under the sun I am going to try to decide what my favorite song is. I have tons and tons of favorites. Really, I do.

Instead, I shall share with you the latest song that has been added to my looong list of favorites. I came across this song- well it was a very twisting, winding path that led me to this song. Suffice it to say, that is is written and performed by the actor who plays my favorite version of Rhadmes in Aida – Blake McIver Ewing. (The blond who played him in the Youth Musical Theatre Association's version - for those of you who have read my Aida posts.)

I absolutely LOVE this song. It is the credit song from the movie End of the Spear- about Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the other three missionaries who were killed trying to share God's word with the Aucas. As proof of how much I love this song, I'll just say I think I've listened to this song about 20 times already today (I only found the full song today.) :D :D Yes, my friends, it is THAT good.